Have any of you guys punched your own wads before? Black Powder use and perhaps shotgun use? Any experiences, tips, etc? Sure, one can try and scour the continent to buy some however making them is done as well. What size of punch do you use? For 12g? for 410? etc?
wad punching
- Thread starter hunterman
- Start date
I looked into it and after finding out what Circle Fly wads cost from Track of the Wolf in the US I quickly gave up on the idea. $8.99 for 500 1/2" or 1000 1/8" wads was too cheap to bother punching my own.
If you're looking to produce your own for personal reasons, not financial, then I can't really help.
As for sizes, I use 11ga (.762") for 12ga and they work fine in regular plastic hulls. I use 19ga wads under slugs inside the shotcup of 12ga plastic wad and I also use .460" wads in black powder 45-70 cases.
If you're looking to produce your own for personal reasons, not financial, then I can't really help.
As for sizes, I use 11ga (.762") for 12ga and they work fine in regular plastic hulls. I use 19ga wads under slugs inside the shotcup of 12ga plastic wad and I also use .460" wads in black powder 45-70 cases.
Bassmaster
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- WMU 48 - Whitetail country
I punch my own wads out of 1/8" cork sheets from CT for 12g slugs. Not sure of the size but they fit perect under the slug to bring it up kissing the crimp
- Location
- Iroquois Falls ON
I started experimenting with home cut wads last fall. When it warms up I intend to get back at it again. Just loaded a few test rounds for my .410 last night. The punch I use for .410 is 7-1/6" and 5/8" for the 20 gauge. I realize that the cost of purchasing wads is not great but there is some satisfaction in doing things in a traditional way. I have always liked reading about how things were done before the industrial revolution,,,, even made a bastard file once by hand.
Ok those b.arms punches are fancy indeed. I had not seen them through googling before. But for now I currently have a hammer set from 1/8 through to 3/4. From what I gather then the workable punch size for .410 is a 7/16, 20g a 5/8 and 12g I read 3/4. Yes there is a satisfaction to figuring out how to do things the old way. As far as materials I am reading some use cork, hard cardboard, plastic lids, milk cartons, and more???. There's also the hard felt wads that serve some purpose in bp. Has anyone found this type of felt?
If one is using cerial box cardboard it is relatively easy to punch your own overshot cards ( watch those fingers ) , but if you move up to a heavy cardboard like the back cover of some notebooks, then it can be very tedious .. ( more than one wack ) A centerhole punch set $19.00 will cover all calibers.
- Location
- Iroquois Falls ON
I cut wads using wadcutters that I make. These aren't punches, they cut. Use them in my drill press. Machine them from tubing, bored to the size I need. Install a shank for the drill press, cut a window in the side to poke out the wads.
